Sly Cooper 5: Thieves Forever (FAN FICTION)
by ASouffleToServeTwo
Summary: Sly is lost in Ancient Egypt, and as he meets a mysterious stranger who seems to know more about him than vice-versa, he is in for another whirlwind trip through time. Meanwhile the Cooper Gang, Slyless in the present, try to find the conspirators of a sinister robbery, whilst hunting for Sly. But can anyone stop the rise of an old enemy from death itself?
1. The Sphinx's Shadow

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 1

The story of this game begins in Ancient Egypt, where Sly wakes to discover he is lost in the past. He is almost arrested by some guards, but escapes and ends up at a cave. It is inside this cave that he meets a mysterious man calling himself Raul Wolfgang. He claims that he knows of Sly's predicament, and that he believes that Le Paradox had an accomplice, who is still intent on bringing down the Cooper Clan. He tells Sly that he has a time machine of his own, and that the two can use it to help Sly's ancestors. Sly, who is torn between trying to return home and protect his legacy, reluctantly agrees to work with this stranger to at least save his ancestor from the Egyptian time period, Slytunkhamen III. His whereabouts are currently unknown, and with the emergence of a tyrannical pharaoh named Osiran, it is presumed that he is in hiding. Osiran, who seems to possess some futuristic technology, has carved his face into the sphinx and the pyramids.

Meanwhile, back in the present day, Bentley notices a news report from the pyramids where Osiran's face is now carved into them. Alarmed, he contacts Dimitri who informs him that the Thievius Raccoonus has been altered on the page of Slytunkhamen. Determined to travel back to Egypt, Bentley rounds up the full gang including the Panda King, who agree to work together to break into the Parisian museum and steal the Eye of Anubis so that they may travel back in time.

Back in Ancient Egypt, Sly and Wolfgang have located Slytunkhamen, who is locked in a crypt beneath the Grand Pyramid. Realising the pyramid is booby trapped with futuristic technology; Sly concludes that he will require the use of a Mummy Costume. Stealing the parts of it from underneath Osiran's guards' noses, he uses its ability to sink beneath sand and rescues Slytunkhamen, who believes that he is the god of death Anubis. Slytunkhamen with great reluctance joins Sly and Wolfgang back at the cave they are using as a safehouse. The three plot to use Slytunkhamens stealth (he has the ability to turn into a sarcophagus at will and has shadow power) to destroy the Grand pyramid where Osiran is held out.

Back in the present day, the Cooper Gang break into the museum using the Panda Kings fireworks and Dimitri's scuba suit in the sewers. Absconding with the Eye of Anubis, they are cornered by Carmelita on the way out. Realising their desperation to find Sly, she joins them and covers their escape. When the gang arrive back at the safehouse, they are horrified to discover the place ransacked. The cooper van has been stolen, as well as the Clockwerk Eye, the last remaining piece of Clockwerk, collected by the gang on their travels in the Ice Age. Murray is distraught and sets out to find the van before he can be stopped. Bentley begins to research leads.

In Egypt, Slytunkhamen is successful in gaining entry to the Grand Pyramid. He signals Sly, who pickpockets guards to gain entrance to the vault entrance. Sly becomes angry when Wolfgang is late for his side of the bargain, but when he appears he calms down. With the aid of a three-way combined attack, the Grand pyramid falls to rubble. Osiran, enraged, orders his slaves to drain the Nile so the people nearby will be forced to reveal the culprits. Sly and Slytunkhamen free the slaves working the pumps, whereupon Slytunkhamen confesses that he doubted Sly, but now proudly sees him as a Cooper. Osiran's operation is now falling apart, and it is revealed that he has a massive laser inside his Sphinx, and plans to use it to raze Cairo to the ground in vengeance for his pyramid's destruction. Upon reaching the sphinx's top, Sly confronts him where it is revealed that he has a "benefactor". It is revealed that Osiran is from the time period, but was born poor on the streets of Cairo. Upon meeting a mysterious individual from the future, he has been given power and wealth and subsequently became the leader of Egypt. Sly battles him using the Mummy costume to become impervious to his sand attacks. Eventually defeated, Osiran falls from the top of the Sphinx, seemingly to his death. Slytunkhamen disables the death ray, and is hailed a hero by Cairo's citizens. He shakes hands with Sly, saying that he will soon become infamous in the minds of the people when he steals their gold. He tells Sly that he is proud to be related to him, but that he shouldn't trust Wolfgang, as he has a bad feeling about him.

As Sly returns to the cave hideout, Wolfgang shows him his handheld time machine. It is revealed that Wolfgang is from a far future, long after Sly's own time. He informs Sly that his ancestor, Henrietta One-Eyed Cooper is in trouble, and (wary of Slytunkhamen's warning) the pair travel to seventeenth-century Caribbean to help her. As the pair leave, a pan of the Egyptian landscape reveals a mysterious owl shape seated on the top of the pyramid, watching closely with ominous yellow eyes…


	2. Eye of the Cooper

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 2

In Paris, Bentley has uncovered a clue about the theft at their hideout. Having discovered a hair on the carpet, he has tracked it through Interpol to the notorious Lapitz family, famous throughout history for their ability to seemingly walk through walls in order to commit crimes. Murray has disappeared, and Bentley and the gang set out to find him as they are certain to need his help.

Meanwhile, Sly and Wolfgang arrive in 17th century Caribbean. Whilst setting up the safehouse in overturned wreckage, Sly asks Wolfgang why he is helping his family, suspicious of his true nature. Wolfgang tells him that he knew his father, and Sly is suspicious. He doesn't get the chance to enquire further, however, as the wreckage is suddenly overrun with mercenaries, in combat armour. Sly and Wolfgang fight them, but they are captured after a long fight. Sly is taken to a dungeon in the town, and he begins to plot his escape. However, upon discovering that the cell door is rigged with futuristic tech, he is forced to wait for help, which he despises. He is dragged out, along with Wolfgang, for inspection by a short beaver in a navy uniform calling himself Sir Hiram III. He calls Sly pirate scum, and takes him for questioning regarding his elusive "sister", Henrietta. However during questioning the back wall is blown apart and Henrietta breaks through, and tells Sly to get out while he can. She engages Hiram in a swordfight, but when his guards come running, she is forced to retreat. The pair escapes to a back alley street building, and Henrietta tells Sly that he is an idiot for being caught, and that she is the last pirate outlaw of the time to run free. She claims she had come to try to bust out her partner, Horace Lefwee (ancestor of Captain Lefwee), but through bad planning got the wrong room. Sly realizes that time has been altered so piracy ended decades too early.

Back in present day Paris, The Cooper Gang catch up to Murray, who has joined a travelling circus to try to earn money. The ringmaster (a secret slave trader), is now keeping Murray hostage, and Bentley concocts a plan to bust him out. Under the cover of nightfall, Panda King and Dimitri infiltrate the circus and cut the ties on the elephant cages, causing a rampage similar to the India mission. In the confusion, Bentley is able to bug the ringmaster, a Hyena named Jeckles. However Murray still remains imprisoned, in the meantime.

In the 17th century, Sly considers trying to contact the Cooper Gang in the present day, as he misses them. He writes on a scroll of parchment, and sets it out to sea in a bottle. Back at the safehouse, Sly tries to convince Henrietta to work with him on a formulated plan, and she reluctantly agrees to help him wipe out Hiram's fleets docked in the harbour. They are naval battalions, so this is further proof that they are out of time. During the heist, Wolfgang returns and helps bomb the dreadnought. Sly is suspicious of how he escaped, and Wolfgang simply replies, "I'm from the future". The fleet destroyed, Hiram's military strength and hold over the area is significantly weakened. Henrietta wants to break her pirate associates out of prison, and gives Sly her father's Cannonball costume, an altered suit of armour with a cannon in the chest, to use. Using the cannon to split open weaker sections of the prison, Sly and Henrietta successfully release the prisoners, including Horace. Wolfgang tells Sly privately that he suspects Horace is a traitor, and Sly tells him that he can't even trust him and his word means nothing. Wolfgang is saddened, and is about to speak when Henrietta & Horace interrupt with their new plan of destroying Hiram's shipyard, where he is constructing a mystery item.

Meanwhile in the circus, Bentley figures that he can bust Murray out during that nights "performance". He calls the Guru to manipulate the performing monkeys into breaking the swing, and so during Murrays' performance, he misses the target and smashes through the flooring. There he is met by the Pandas King who fights off Jeckles' guards and makes their escape. Outraged, Jeckles takes centre stage and demands that the intruders be known to him. Bentley, who is angered by his keeping of Murray, engages him in a fight, and despite lack of physical strength, emerges triumphant using his bombs and sleep darts. Jeckles is arrested by Interpol and sent down for life. Murray returns with the team who head off to Chile to confront the thief, most likely the youngest Lapitz family member, Leo.

During the operation in the Caribbean, Horace Lefwee turns on Henrietta, revealing he is a traitor, and tells her of the pleasure he took from robbing her of her status as the best pirate on the seven seas, and taking the loot for himself. Henrietta tells him she is ashamed to call him a pirate and the two swordfight on a banister. Upon reaching Hiram's panic room, Wolfgang is caught in a trap and Hiram appears from behind a desk with a RPG. He tells Sly that he grew up in modern day in Bloodbath Bay, and was bullied relentlessly by the pirate kids for enjoying a more refined seafaring field; the Navy. Upon meeting a mysterious "benefactor", he was given the opportunity to wipe out piracy at its heyday, and a fleet to do so with. He shows Sly a machine part that he has been constructing, and Sly is horrified to see that it is a huge steel wing. Hiram tells Sly if he can beat him in a game of Battleships, he can take Wolfgang and his empire. If he loses, however, he must admit to being fired out of a torpedo hatch. Sly accepts the challenge, and the two play best out of three. Meanwhile, Henrietta has defeated Lefwee, and cuts off his leg, but not before he shot her in the eye. Left on the floor, writhing in pain, Henrietta stumbled half-blindly towards the control room. Sly beats Hiram, and taking defeat badly, he pulls his RPG on Sly. Before he can fire it however, he is shot by Henrietta, and is incapacitated. Sly cuts down Wolfgang and the three sabotage the technology, ensuring piracy lives on. However when Sly looks for the wing, he is unable to find it. Henrietta thanks Sly for his help, calling him a true pirate, and she also realizes he is a Cooper, although the time-travel concept confuses her. She parts with him to find an eye patch, and her infamous legacy continues.

Sly confronts Wolfgang about his knowledge of his father, and Wolfgang tells Sly that he was best friends with his father, having travelled back in time to meet the famous coopers. He tells Sly that his father gave him a special task, but cannot tell Sly what it is. Frustrated, Sly still is unsure of Wolfgang's intentions, but begins to trust him a little. Wolfgang tells Sly that he believes that Otto van Cooper, his German mechanic ancestor is being targeted, and the two travel back to help him.

After the pair's departure, high above in the crow's nest, a golden shape sits ominously surveying the town square, where Henrietta is being celebrated by the pirate inhabitants. It turns to receive a long, metallic wing from a shadowy figure standing behind it, and, pleased with it, a pair of yellow eyes flicker with apprehension. "_Yes_" it said in a cold, calculating voice. "_This will do… nicely_".


	3. Full Metal Cane

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 3

In the present day, The Cooper Gang arrive in Chile and set up a base of operations in a café near to the beach. Over breakfast, Bentley begins to draw up a plan to get at Leo Lapitz. He needs Carmelita (the closest in terms of stealth to Sly) to gather reconnaissance of the area and Lapitz's mansion. She reluctantly agrees to go against the law to do this, but only for Sly's sake. She follows Lapitz around and discovers that he is making plans with his hired muscle to rob the nearby bank, and plunge the town into chaos and poverty. Horrified, Carmelita returns to tell the gang, but as she runs along the beach, she notices a bottle caught in seaweed. Picking it up, she sees a message inside, and goes to open it.

(Berlin, Germany, 1915) – Sly and Wolfgang arrive in the middle of WW1 Germany, and are alarmed to almost be run over by a tank. The two discover an old disused bus shelter and convert it into their base of operations. Sly reluctantly heads out into the area to do recon work. Approaching what appears to be the main military base, Sly sees a Buck dressed in a Major's uniform ordering troops around. Sly watches as he approaches the airstrip and is shocked to see many highly advanced planes that are many years before their time parked in the field. As he takes a photo of the airstrip he is knocked out from behind by an unknown assailant.

Back in present day Chile, Carmelita has opened the bottle and, showing it the Cooper Gang, they are overjoyed to see it is from Sly. The message reads:

_Hey there,_

_This is Sly Cooper, master thief and friend. Don't worry, I am fine. I escaped Le Paradox's blimp but was thrown into Ancient Egypt. The plot to endanger the Cooper legacy is still active. I have defeated an operative in Ancient Egypt and am now travelling with another time traveller called Wolfgang who is claiming to want to help me. I don't trust him though, so I want you to check out the Thievius Raccoonus, and try to come help me. I miss you guys, especially you Carmelita. Not a day passes when I don't think of you, and me, the way we were. If you're reading this and you are not the aforementioned Cooper Gang, I am very drunk, so you should probably disregard everything I just said. Buurrrrpppp!_

_Sly_

Bentley affirms that the parchment is from the Caribbean in the 17th century, and that when the van is recovered, their most logical step is to refer to the Thievius Raccoonus. Yet they are filled with new resolve now that they know Sly's fate. Bentley reveals his plan to lay a trap for Leo during his bank heist. Carmelita suggests they do this through cooperation with the cops but Bentley reminds her that the Cooper Gang is wanted in every country. He tells Murray and the Panda King to break in through the basement of the bank and leave a calling card with Lapitz's name on it. They first need a card, so the Guru must break into a logging plantation and get some paper, sabotaging the camp along the way. Once this is in play, Bentley will hack into the bank terminal, lowering security for the night. Then the Cooper Gang will make the jump on Lapitz as he attempts to steal from the bank, take his vault key, and get their van back, leaving Lapitz tied up for the cops.

Back in WW1, Sly wakes up in a darkened room with a light in his eyes. He is asked questions about his binocucom by a man out of sight with a German accent. Sly tells him he is a tourist, but the man believes he is a spy, and orders him to be taken to jail. Once he is in custody of the guards, Sly realizes the man is his ancestor, Otto van Cooper. Sly is horrified that Otto appears to be working for the bad guys, and begins to question his own legacy. Wolfgang arrives to break him out of the prison cell, and Sly tells him what he has learnt about Otto. Wolfgang refuses to believe he is working for the Major willingly, and sets off to do his own reconnaissance. Sly meanwhile, returns to the airstrip and collects a Mechanic Costume from the tools shed and sabotages the futuristic planes with his spanner, and he sees an incredibly fast blur fly over his head. He concludes that that it must be some kind of supersonic stealth fighter. Returning to the hideout, Wolfgang tells Sly that the man he saw is called Major Adlar, and whilst not inherently from the future, Wolfgang has concluded that he is working with the time-travelling syndicate due to his armada of futuristic planes and tanks.

Wolfgang sets out to sabotage the general's car so that he will be forced to make a detour to a garage where the two will spring on him. Sly goes to steal and commandeer a tank, and is irritated to discover that Otto has repaired the planes he sabotaged. He is confronted by Otto in the engines room, and the two fights. But Otto overcomes Sly and handcuffs him. Sly asks Otto why he is working for Adlar, and Otto tells him that the Major is a good man dedicated to the victory of the Ottoman Empire, and that he is proud to serve under him. Sly tries to convince Otto that he is his predecessor from the future, but Otto tells Sly that he is a liar, and accuses him of stealing the cane from a Cooper. Sly convinces him to release him for long enough to prove himself, and after pickpocketing several guards, Otto is finally convinced. Sly tells Sly that whilst he doesn't accuse the German front of being evil, that Major Adlar is trying to change history significantly with his future technology. Otto reluctantly agrees to help his relative, but only to defeat Adlar, as he is a proud member of the German RAF. Meeting back with Wolfgang at the safehouse, the three plan their attack.

Meanwhile in the present day, the Cooper gang's plan against Lapitz is in motion and Leo enters the vault rooms and attempts the lock. Murray throws a punch at him from behind, but Leo suddenly sidesteps and goes through the wall. He reappears behind and Murray and beats him senseless, leaving Murray concussed on the floor. Leo shouts to the other hidden members to show themselves, and the Guru, protective of his student, appears to face down Lapitz. Leo laughs at the Guru's nonsensical language, and boasts that his 'benefactor' instilled him with prestige by giving him his Solid Matter Converter from the future. The Guru engages him in a battle, riding Lapitz into the walls to damage him and dodging his matter attacks. Eventually defeated, Leo pops a cyanide pill before he can be stopped and tells the gang that he has had the last laugh, before dropping dead on the floor. Bentley takes his vault key and his Solid Matter Converter (which he says the gang will find useful) and the Cooper Gang (with a recovered Murray) go to retrieve their van.

Back in WW1 Germany, Otto tells Sly and Wolfgang about the stealth bomber, which he has seen from his plane circling around him, and he believes that Adlar was spying on him because he believed he was a traitor. Wolfgang tells Sly to use the Mechanic Costume to destroy any tanks displaying signs of modification but to be careful not to disable any genuine articles from WW1 as that will disrupt the time continuum. He goes off to spring the trap on Adlar, and Otto gets into his plane to shoot down the stealth bomber. Successful with his exploits, Sly goes to help Wolfgang. Otto flies into the foggy Berlin skies and duels with the stealth bomber, which seemingly has a mind of its own. Upon dealing significant damage to the bomber it falls to the ground. As it passes Otto's plane he catches a glimpse of a pair of glowing yellow headlights on the front, and could've sworn he heard it speak in a metallic wrenching voice "_Cooper…!_" but puts it down to his imagination. The bomber crashes into the ground, and Otto lands his plane, victorious. Sly arrives at the garage to find Wolfgang has been defeated by Major Adlar, who turns to face Sly. Sly brags about their victory over the stealth bomber, and Adlar is confused and claims he is not responsible for the bomber. Adlar tells him that all he wanted was to ensure Germany's success in the war and that the 'benefactor' was making it possible. Sly tells him that time cannot be changed, even for those who you may love (thinking of his parents). Adlar calls him a heretic to Germany's victory and fights Sly. Using the workbenches to mash Adlar, Sly emerges victorious. Adlar, defeated, sobs about his failure to Germany. Sly tries to convince him to return to the war and fight purely for what he believes instead of his endgame, but Adlar throws down a grenade and kills himself, forcing Sly to make a quick exit with Wolfgang.

Adlar defeated, Otto thanks Sly and apologises for being misled by his promises of a glorious Germany. Sly tells Otto that he is Germany's best hope for the war, and that he should always fight for what he believes in, regardless of history, and Otto laughs and wishes him luck, before getting into his plane and heading out for more adventures.

Back at the hideout, Sly tries to convince Wolfgang to wait for his friends to catch up with him, but Wolfgang refuses, telling Sly his father had placed trust in him and that he must continue his goal, and that he can't do that without Sly. Seeing that Sly needs more persuasion, he tells Sly that his goal is to do with the arch nemesis of the Cooper Clan, Clockwerk. With great reluctance, this causes Sly to agree to go with Wolfgang to help his Victorian England ancestor, Thaddeus Winslow Cooper.

As Otto Van Coopers plane lights up the sky with passionate gunfire, a dark shape moves through the streets, limping. It is dripping with what appears to be blood, and is clearly dying. It moves towards a garage, and almost falls over on the workbench. A pair of yellow eyes open, illuminating blueprints left there by Adlar, charting the greatest war machine ever to be built, but one that he had not yet gotten around to building. A figure walks in from behind and says "It's time for you to make good on your part of the deal, now". The larger shape simply ignored the figure, as its golden feathers bristled in the wind. For it had immortality to conquer…


	4. Riptide

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 4

In modern day Chile, the Cooper gang raid Lapitz's vault, and joyously reclaim the team van. But Bentley is extremely worried that Clockwerk's eye is nowhere to be found. On the way back to Paris and the Thievius Raccoonus, Bentley runs through everything he knows. He takes out the postcards he received from Penelope after the endgame of Sly 4, and is stunned to notice one of the images changing before his eyes…

Sly and Wolfgang arrive in Victorian London, and immediately have to escape street level as a huge number of police (or people dressed as police) are patrolling the area. They set up shop in a *ahem* shop and Sly takes the opportunity to query Wolfgang about his knowledge. He asks him how he instinctively knows what ancestor is in danger, and Wolfgang shows him his time machine, and tells him that it begins to bleep loudly whenever anything disrupts the time continuum. Wolfgang begins to tell Sly about the future he comes from, a dystopian society run by a figure of authority that has never been seen but their troops patrol the streets and keep the population in line, working, endlessly towards… Wolfgang breaks off and tells Sly to go and do reconnaissance work. Irritated and still suspicious, Sly leaves the shop and begins to photograph the area. He notices a cluster of Jack the Ripper posters, and is shocked to notice that they have been stamped over with a CAUGHT sign. Instantly Sly knew something was wrong, as from his history lessons with Bentley he recalled that the Ripper was never identified, or caught, and yet police in 1888 claim to have done both.

Sly watches from the roofs as a man is dragged into the police station, overlooked by a serious-looking snail who is clearly the chief of police. Sly hears one of his officers call him Escargot. Sly investigates the station, crawling in through the air ducts, he sits on top of one of the lights and watches Escargot interrogate the man. Escargot begins to laugh and tells the man that he is grateful for taking the fall for the crimes of the greatest criminal in history, and making his job easier. The man in the chair simply replies in an elegant and gentlemanly manner that "justice will catch up to the corrupt Escargot". Escargot laughs again and says "I am justice!" and slithers out of the room laughing hysterically. Sly crawls down to investigate the man, and realizes he is Thaddeus Winslow Cooper. Thaddeus looks at Sly and says "Well here's the cavalry. That was quick. Tell me young man, do you really want to risk your life for me?" Sly tells him that he is his descendant, and Thaddeus politely tells him that the asylum is just around the corner. Sly nonetheless of his ancestor's retorts, breaks him out and the two escape through the air vent.

The Cooper Gang arrives in Paris, where Bentley shows them the altered photos. Now where it originally depicted her symbol of a mouse's face, it now showed Penelope holding the Clockwerk Eye, triumphantly. Bentley is alarmed as it means she has developed another time machine incredibly fast after her prison break. The gang check the Thievius Raccoonus, and notice the pages of Slytunkhamen, Henrietta and Otto now make mention of the assistance of their future descendant, Sly Cooper. On the page of Thaddeus Winslow Cooper, however, things seem to be in flux, with his words disappearing and re-appearing at an equal rate. Deciding that hat is where Sly is currently located, the Cooper Gang arrange for an unfortunate heist of a legit Victorian England coin from a nearby treasury, and slotting it into the time machine, whirl into the time vortex once again.

Back in Victorian England, Sly is midway between telling Wolfgang of the developments he has uncovered when Wolfgang's time machine begins to bleep very loudly, and Wolfgang grins and says "Looks like we may finally be able to catch the benefactor behind all this". The two plus a slow-walking Thaddeus move towards the source of the disruption. A vortex has opened in the middle of the street and Ripper posters are fluttering around in the whirlwind. Wolfgang stands in front of the vortex, pounced ready to attack anyone coming through. He is thrown back by a huge object flying through the vortex that narrowly misses him, as it skids to the end of the street and crashes explosively. As smoke billows out from the back, a familiar license plate hits the ground in smoke. Sly rushes to the van and Bentley and Murray rush out and embrace him. "We finally found you!" Bentley exclaimed, and Murray spoke in a rapid rumble about Leo Lapitz, Jeckles and lots of other stuff that Sly didn't understand, but he nodded and laughed along with the story, just pleased to back with his friends. Carmelita steps out and kisses Sly passionately. Sly grins and says it's good to see her too. She then slaps him hard and tells him not to do that to her ever again. Sly hugs the other members of the gang, even Dimitri who is soaked with sweat. Wolfgang watches with a contained air of suspicion and resentment. He calmly tells Sly that they have a job to do, but Sly ignores him. Thaddeus arrives, pursued by multiple police officers. As the entire Cooper party turns and runs from the approaching threat, Dimitri yells "It's good to be back baby!"

Once everyone is filled in back at the safehouse, Bentley begins to draw up a plan of attack against Escargot. He is clearly a member of the time travel syndicate, but his aims are clouded with mystery. Sly doubts that he was simply aiming to disgrace Thaddeus Cooper's name, and decidedly ventures out to investigate him. Carmelita accompanies him, wanting to stay with him permanently. Meanwhile, Bentley bugs several patrolling police officers, and Murray captures and interrogates the head of security, a man named Geeko. Geeko (a chameleon) proves very hard to catch due to his illusive colour-changing antics, but when caught, reveals guard patrol routes. Sly and Carmelita eavesdrop on Escargot as he patrols the town. He curses Thaddeus Cooper but claims that his job is done. With the Ripper's so-called identity revealed to the public, the media simply overlooks the outdated methods involved in the police work and allows them to continue in a poorly functional state. Carmelita recognises him as a disgraced cop from her office in the present day, fired for tampering with evidence that pointed to him dodging a parking fine. Sly suggests that he is out to ruin the police throughout history by letting them believe that their methods are still viable, when they need to evolve to survive. The two reckon that they must expose Escargot as a liar so that the police re-evaluate their method and time will be fixed.

Back at the safehouse Bentley plans the final assault. He reveals what he and Murray learnt from the guards that Escargot keeps encrypted audio files (from the future) in his office, which is tightly locked down by two keys hidden somewhere in London. With the audio files they can prove that Thaddeus is innocent of being Jack the Ripper and get Escargot arrested. But first they must locate the keys, which intelligence suggests are hidden in two locations. The first is at the top of Big Ben in the clock face, and the other at the bottom of the Thames, in a treasure chest. Sly climbs Big Ben and retrieves the key from the clock face, but slips and is hanging onto the hour hand. He drops his cane and it drops into the town below. As he looks around desperately for help, he sees a blur of silver rush past. It was only for a split-second, but Sly knows only one thing could have looked like that. That concern has to wait, as he is slipping from the hand at an alarming rate. Suddenly he is rescued by Wolfgang who pulls him up. Sly asks him what he is doing there, and Wolfgang tells him he is looking out for him. Wolfgang is about to speak again when Bentley comes in on the binocucom, telling the pair that Dimitri has retrieved the key from the Thames. Thaddeus goes out to look for Sly's cane, and discovering it has landed in a rough area, he manages to easily defeat all the thugs in the area with his own cane, that has a ruby on top. Upon seeing Sly's cane he realises he was telling the truth about him being a Cooper.

The plan is then put into action. The police station is heavily guarded due to Thaddeus' escape, and Bentley reckons they need Sly to impersonate a policeman to get in. To do so, he steals the parts of uniform from around London, including a futuristic umbrella, which deflects projectiles. Donning the Policeman costume, Sly infiltrates the police station and retrieves the files. Bentley discovers a future-tech radio transmissions tower has been put into place, 20 years before the invention of radio, that they can use to transmit the audio files, and then they will destroy the tower. Murray busts into the tower with Panda King's fireworks and take it over. After playing the audio message, they are alarmed to discover the tower rigged with future explosives, which blow, collapsing the inner structure of the tower. Panda King tells Murray to run, and that he will hold up the foundations long enough to let him through. Murray refuses to leave him, so the Panda King knocks him out and shoots him on a large firework through the gaps in the structure. He stares defiantly into the rubble collapsing on top of him, and shouts "Redemption! I'm sorry Sly Cooper! I'm sorry that I was weak and that I helped the Fiendish Five! In death, I am more honourable than in life!" Then the tower collapses. The Cooper Gang desperately search the rubble, but conclude that it is useless. Bentley holds a sacred Chinese memorial ritual, and the gang tearfully place flowers on the rubble. Thaddeus pops the ruby of the top of his cane and places it next to the flowers and bows in respect. Sly swears revenge against Escargot, and sets out to kill him.

Escargot is held out in the police station, and Sly successfully defeats the last of his guards and confronts him. Escargot taunts him about Panda King, and tells him about his benefactor, who gave him the chance to make his plan for revenge come to fruition. Sly, in a rage, attacks him. Escargot fights using mounted rocket launchers on his shell, but Sly repels them using the Policeman Costume and knocks him on his back. Escargot pleads for mercy, but Sly isn't listening and he prepares to kill him. Carmelita rushes in and stops Sly, saying that Panda King, a man of peace, would not have wanted this. While Carmelita talks Sly down, Escargot manages to revive and shoots Sly, who hits the wall and is unconscious. Carmelita turns to Escargot, who tells her that he remembers her as the stuck-up cop who arrested him. Carmelita calls him a disgrace to the uniform, and the fight begins anew. Defeated a second time, Escargot's shell breaks and he lands on his back. Carmelita tells him that he is quite literally a slimy ******, and chains him up for the police.

With Escargot's plans in tatters, time is now fixed. Thaddeus thanks Sly, calling him a great man that he is proud to be related to. Then he strides down the street, cane in hand, likely looking for more fun to be had. Back at the safehouse, Sly tells the now smaller Cooper Gang that Panda King's sacrifice would not be in vain, and that the orchestrators of the syndicate are within reach. He tells Bentley about his vision on the clock face, and he is equally worried. Wolfgang loudly announces that Slaigh MacCooper, Sly's Celtic Scottish ancestor is being targeted. The Cooper Gang sets off for Scotland, but in low spirits. And yet they are right to be worried, because only one person matches Sly's description…

A camera pan reveals Penelope standing smugly on the roof of a nearby house near to the old Cooper HQ. She is holding the Clockwerk Eye. It is the photo that Bentley had seen. A large thud behind her indicates the arrival of her client. She turns to face them. "This is it. This is the design that you followed when building suit mark one". She holds out some blueprints. "And these are the ones you should use for mark two". A metal wing grabs the prints, and beady red eyes flicker. "_Yes. These are suitable." _The moon shone brightly on the owner of the voice, revealing that Sly's fears were justified. Clockwerk laughed gutturally as his eye seated in Penelope's hand began to glow yellow, and just in that second, the whole world seemed darker…


	5. License to Kilt

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 5

Penelope POV: They're finished! And a fine craftsmanship if I say so myself! The Clockwerk Talons 2.0, now with 35% sharper edges, and serrated razor blades. Penelope, you genius! Soon, there will be no stopping our partnership and the Cooper Gang will pay dearly for the humiliation they have caused me. And yet, I still feel it. Me and Bentley. The spark is still there, and I can't shake it. This is only the third time this evening I've considered throwing in the towel and trying to convince him to be mine again. And for the third time I convince myself that I am being foolish. Clockwerk will be here soon. And then, it begins…

(Celtic Scotland, 700 BC) – The Cooper Gang plus Wolfgang (and minus Panda King...) arrive in Scotland in Slaigh MacCooper's time. Wolfgang is the first to notice the heavy machinery in the area, much to Bentley's annoyance. He points out that the Iron Age settlements had only just began to use tools, and these construction works are long before their time. The gang heads into a nearby barn and sets up. Murray is eager to meet Slaigh MacCooper, the only Cooper (Except maybe Bob) who specializes in brawn rather than brains. He goes with Sly to the town centre where the construction is thinnest to look for him. The pair watches as the workers line up for rollcall, inspected by an English sheep. He bleats on about the task at hand, and that the deadline is in two days. A worker on the far side of the line begins to snigger at his posh accent. The sheep glares furiously at him, and pulls out a huge laser with an hourglass in the centre, and fires it at the worker. The worker disappears in a cloud of tachyons. The sheep dares anyone else to jest, but they all stay silent. After dismissal, Sly notices a shape moving along the rooftop, in pursuit of the sheep. Sly follows, whilst Murray reports the findings back to HQ.

Sly catches up to the figure, which turns sharply and almost knocks Sly's head off with a huge stone cane. It was Slaigh MacCooper, without any doubt. "What yer doin' followin' me laddie?" he asked in a strong Scottish dialect. "Think I wouldn't notice, didye? I'm a Cooper, son!" Sly replied "And so am I!" He then went on to explain his background to Slaigh. Slaigh laughs and says he has a good humour, and reveals that the sheep he is tailing is nicknamed Doc, due to his technical proficiency. Doc had appeared a couple of months ago and enslaved the town's leader in an underground cell, and construction and followed in days. Slaigh reveals he had been nearly caught sabotaging one of the diggers, which he calls a "metal monster". Slaigh asks whether Sly wishes to accompany him on a mission to clobber Doc, but Sly triers to talk him out of it, as he doesn't stand a chance. Slaigh agrees to meet the gang, but never promises to stay out of trouble. The two return to HQ.

Bentley has pulled up a database of criminal sheep, and Sly helps him narrow down the suspects. Slaigh watches out of the corner, confused. Wolfgang brings him a mug of ale, and Slaigh downs it without hesitation. Bentley brings up Doc's profile. Apparently an eager student of the scientific arts, he attended the same college as Dr. M, and was a constant academic rival with the monkey. When Dr. M' science project beat his, he swore revenge on him, and later his affiliates, the Cooper gang, also. Bentley plans to get Murray and Slaigh to demolish the crane in the east so that construction will be severely hampered. Sly has to find a bagpipes costume to compete in a pub contest to win a job in Doc's works. Bentley will work with Dimitri to collect data on underwater hydraulics, using Bentley's hacking to power down security mines and gates in the river. Slaigh decides to go along with the plan, although Bentley is worried by his headstrong, reckless nature. Sly meanwhile addresses his fears about Clockwerk to Wolfgang. Wolfgang finally opens up about his mission. He comes from a time in the not-so-distant future where all hope is crushed by cyborgs led by a highly advanced upgraded Clockwerk. Clockwerk controls all time travel in the land, but Wolfgang worked with some rebels and acquired his pocket device, and set about acquiring information on Clockwerk. He met Sly's dad, Connor Cooper, in 1980'S Russia on a mission to undermine the Fiendish Fives operation, and Connor told Wolfgang to meet all the Cooper ancestors and gather information on Clockwerk. And so Wolfgang had travelled to Egypt, where he met Sly. He also reveals that he is Sly's unofficial "uncle", granted the status by Connor for helping the Cooper's. Sly is overjoyed to have a living relative, and finally trusts Wolfgang completely.

As Slaigh and Murray demolish the crane, they are attacked by Doc in a huge plough. Eventually the plough is powered down by Murray's Thunder flop and crashes through a layer of construction, and disappearing into the ground. Slaigh tells Murray he considers him a kindred soul, and the two go to get ale. Sly with Carmelita manage to trick some local guards into parting with their bagpipes and Sly competes against Angus McDawgle, the reigning champion in an epic music duel. Eventually emerging victorious, Sly shakes hands with Doc (who has re-emerged from supposed death in the plough) and Doc gives him a job as promised. Sly also discovers that the bagpipes have a unique frequency that can open locked doors. Dimitri, with assistance from Bentley, reverses the hydraulics in the river, causing a huge explosion in all the toilets in the works. We see the guards running around screaming with toilet paper on their legs and Doc emerges from his workhouse, furious, cursing Slaigh MacCooper.

Back in Cooper HQ, Bentley plans an assault on Doc's workhouse, to destroy whatever he has been building, and ruin his operation. Bentley then wants to calmly interrogate Doc on Penelope and the time travel syndicate. Murray and Sly, now firm friends, set off together to capture Doc. What they are blissfully unaware of as they arrive at the town centre is the assassin waiting for them on a nearby roof. So they are completely unprepared for the darts which hit them in the heads and send their world to black.

Meanwhile Sly and Bentley discover that Doc has hired a mercenary assassin called Cartwright, a lemur with incredible agility and combat skills that rival even Sly's. Bentley believes he is behind Murray and Sleigh's disappearance. To catch out Cartwright and claim his key to the workhouse, Sly must masterfully use Slytunkhamen's Shadow Power ability to become invisible. In the meantime Bentley works with the Guru to break the security turrets blocking the workhouse's main doors. Sly confronts Cartwright, and a long battle ensues, with Cartwright wielding throwing knives and a long spear. Eventually the two tackle each other and fall from the rooftop and through the foundations of the underground tunnel. Dazed, Cartwright prepares to kill Sly with his spear, but is knocked out by a surprise entry from Wolfgang, who pulls Sly up. Sly is grateful for his intervention, and Wolfgang tells him that Connor would not be happy with him if he let anything happen to his son. The pair carries Cartwright out of the tunnel, but not before Sly released the angry occupants of the town from their holding cells. They go on to clubber all the guards in the main town and retake their properties.

The ball now in motion for the heist, the Cooper Gang prepares to enter the workhouse, only to discover a huge futuristic craft hovering over the town. A dozen ladders drop down onto the streets, and goons sporting the Penelope symbol shimmy down them. Murray and Slaigh fight them off whilst Sly and Bentley break into the workhouse with Wolfgang in pursuit. They arrive to discover (To their horror) the fully assembled and completed Clockwerk frame 2.0 strung up from the ceiling, and Penelope and Doc hauling it up to the roof for pickup by the craft. Penelope turns to face the gang, and laughs and tells them that they are too late. Bentley tries to convince her to stop the madness, but she wouldn't listen. She brags about the strength of her time travel syndicate, revealing herself as the "benefactor". She claims that her plan to destroy the Cooper clan is now unstoppable. Doc yells at them that he is off with Penelope, to be her husband, as she promised, and given a position of power in her new organization. Penelope laughed at him, telling him that she no longer needed him, and so is useless to her and betrayed him by pushing him from the top layer of the workhouse, where he hits the floor hard and breaks through it to the tunnels below. Bentley goes off in pursuit of Penelope. Sly and Wolfgang destroy any future technology and free Murray and Slaigh before following suit.

On the rooftop of the workhouse, Bentley manages to catch up with Penelope as she reaches the crafts landing gear. She turns to face him, and expresses her sense of regret at betraying him specifically, before zapping him with the original Clockwerk Eye she had concealed in her pocket. Murray arrives and is horrified to see Bentley on the floor in a trance. He runs furiously after Penelope, and manages to miss the landing pad narrowly, and falls on down to the ground, landing in a pile of cabbages below. Sly and Wolfgang reach the rooftop and Wolfgang picks up the concussed Bentley. Without warning Doc suddenly bursts through the rooftop, beam in hand. He begins to scream about his reward that has been stolen ungraciously from him, and we learn that his first name is Lawrence. Sly tells him that he has no honour for a thief, and Doc fights him. Sly uses the Bagpipe costume to blast him into collapsible foundations and Doc is eventually defeated. Guru holds him in an aura bubble, where he was last seen pounding the floor in protest and sobbing.

The gang is in low spirits. They know that the cooper clan's greatest threat ever is emerging, in the form of the reincarnated archenemy of the clan, Clockwerk the Russian eagle owl. Wolfgang eventually breaks the silence and suggests that they go and find Le Paradox, and interrogate him about the plan. The gang agrees, and the plans are set in stone. Slaigh thanks the gang for their help in freeing the Celts from Doc, and tells them that they when (NOT IF) they find Murray, to tell him he is always welcome at the pub. Then he leaves, stone cane in hand. Calibrations complete, with Carmelita's shock pistol in the time machine, the rapidly decreasing Cooper gang travel to modern day Paris to stop Penelope.

Penelope POV: I heard him coming before he landed, in that terror-instilling way he does, wings outstretched, and eyes soul-piercingly yellow. He spoke in his guttural voice: "The plans are complete, are they not?" to which I agreed. Inspecting them, Clockwerk's eyes shifted to a look of pure evil, and his knife-like talons flexed. His beak broke into the cruellest smile I have ever seen. "You have been a great help". I told him that we had work to do yet, but suddenly I was no longer able to stay cool under his glare. He laughed in a way which froze my blood cold in my veins. "You have no work to do any more, mouse" and he stepped menacingly towards me. "You think a person who has lived for hundreds of years with only one thought: hatred for the Cooper legacy, wouldn't notice the mind-control implants you've installed in my eyes?" I began to shake. The owl had seen right through me, and I felt bile rising in my stomach. "I am no 'ones puppet. I am Clockwerk, the one true master thief. I don't take well to betrayal, as you'll soon discover." I turned to run, barely feeling my legs, but his ever-sharpened talons whisked me off my feet and into his direct line of sight. His eyes bore holes in me, as the grip on my body tightened. "Thank you. And goodbye". His grip intensified and as my world faded to black forever, my last thoughts were of Bentley.

Clockwerk POV: As the lifeless body of the mouse dropped to the floor, I flexed my talons in appreciation of my first real kill in a while. The primal instincts overwhelmed me. I needed more, and soon I would have it. I turned to the workbench, and spread out my robotic body before me. I lay inside the metallic coffin as the bindings snapped shut around me, and clamped into my skin. The pain was only momentary, and as my biology rapidly changed, I no longer felt anything. As my new enhanced eyes wired into my sockets, the room returned to me in the sharpest focus I have ever seen. A rat scurried across the floor. With lightning reflexes I whipped it off the floor and crushed in my serrated talons. A smile curled on my lips. Clockwerk was born again. The Cooper Line would never be safe again. My greatest scheme ever. As I turned to the window, a lifeless city lay before me. Moscow, my home. Soon, though, it would be so much more. The clouds above began to crackle and a lightning bolt struck a spire. A storm was coming. I smashed through the window and felt new life course through me as my new metal wings took flight for the first time. I had an impulse to terrorise the sleeping city below, but that would have to wait. History awaits…

PREVIEW OF THE CONCLUDING PART: "Clockwerk's master engine is well guarded. But we can break in. Thieves like us can do anything" said Connor. Sly looked with admiration at this father rallying his troops. He was intensely proud to be the child of this brave, brave man. Connor landed a spire jump on the jagged broken fencing next to where Sly was standing. He tuned to face Sly. "You know, I may be approaching fifty but I am not stupid." He smiled warmly, "You may hide your acne but there is no mistaking a Cooper" He grabbed Sly's shoulders and looked closely into his eyes. "Sly?" he said. "Hi, dad" said Sly, his voice wobbling…

PART 6 OUT 30/3/13


	6. The Light at the End

Sly 5: Thieves Forever Part 6: FINALE

Clockwerk POV: The machine worked perfectly. I had my doubts, but if the mouse was one thing for sure, it was able with machinery. She only realized how handy when the blades she had honed herself were responsible for crushing her insides to jelly. Ha-ha. But nonetheless of my scepticism, the great engine roared into life and suddenly I was in a foggy, foul-smelling cesspit. Prehistoric earth. The very beginning of time itself. The Earth is new, an atmosphere that would choke anyone from the past, except those who don't have any life left in them to die. Like me. I watch closely as the first organisms crawl from the sea, merely slugs but yet with the potential to be so much more. Potential that should be harnessed, by someone with initiative. Prometheus had it all wrong. Why give the mortals fire when you can letter them suffer in the cold? Being a god sure does have its privileges…

Paris, Badlan Mental Institution, 2013: Cyrille Le Paradox had faked insanity to be moved away from his original prison and into a less secure one. And yet the guards on duty there could smell his escape from miles off. One of the many disadvantages of being a skunk. As Sly and Wolfgang appeared in the interrogation cell, Le Paradox couldn't help but smile. Maybe he really was going insane now, tortured by visions of what could have been. Sly was asking him something, but Le Paradox wasn't listening. He just laughed to himself, twirling his moustache and banging his head on the table in disbelief. Then Sly's cane came out of nowhere and smashed him in the face. Dazed, Le Paradox snapped out of his crazed antics and snapped at Sly "You know I'm in prison right! I may not be on your Christmas card list but you can't just hit me!" Wolfgang flexed his claws and spoke intimidatingly "No, he can't. But I can, because you see, I'm not from around here. Your rules don't apply." He then hit Le Paradox again, around the face. The Skunk scowled and yelled "What do you want you hooligans!? My plan failed, oui? Why must you torture me so?" Sly asked him about his accomplice, Penelope. Le Paradox shook his head and claimed that the "mouse isn't under my employ any more. There was no back-up plan, and I don't understand what you're saying about your other ancestors. I haven't done anything wrong!" Wolfgang hit him so hard he fell off the chair. Sly told Wolfgang to calm down, and the wolf angrily put his hands behind his back.

Le Paradox stood up, straightened his chair, and glared with hatred at his interrogators. "Good cop, bad cop huh? Look you imbeciles; I have nothing to tell you, and nothing to say to you, so leave me in peace!" Wolfgang leapt at him and pulled him up the ruff of his jumper. "Maybe I didn't hear you straight!" he shouted angrily at the struggling skunk. "Your old pal Penelope is planning something that involves co-operation with the most evil living thing that ever existed. If this bird gets its hands on time, the whole world is going to suffer. Its name is Clockwerk, and it is well and truly back! Now tell us what you know!" and with that he threw Le Paradox at the back wall. The skunk hit the floor and huddled in the corner. "Le owl is back? No, no,no,no! It told my father that it had unfinished business with my family. He's surely going to come for me!" Wolfgang went and stood over him, "Then tell us what you know, stinkbags!" he yelled. Le Paradox sighed and said "Look, I only know that the owl had big plans that involved travelling in time. Probably further back than anyone's ever been!" Wolfgang prepared another punch, but Sly hooked his claw in his cane. "That's enough Wolfgang. The guy isn't in on this plan." Wolfgang calmed down and stepped back. "Fine. But we have no other leads". Sly nodded and said "I know. But there is nothing useful coming out of this". The pair leaves the interrogation room, leaving Le Paradox cradling himself in the corner.

Clockwerk POV: I have been watching the slime for a long time now. They are getting much more intelligent. Whereas before, they simply chased after my talon as I swept their food around out of their reach, now they simply wait for my talon to complete a circle. They will have to get used to oppression. Their society will be built on it. I watch as the slime slithers towards an amoeba, and with barely any effort, I snatch it away in front of its eyes. I break it into 3 pieces and drop one in. The slimes fight each other for it. I smile before I can help myself. It's like watching pigeons fight over scraps of bread. To think these pathetic excuses for life would one day inhabit the earth. Mammals. Really, their nothing more than insects. Moths really. Constantly drifting towards the light, and being zapped. It's really quite a pathetic show. If living hundreds of years have taught me anything, it's that the most fun you can have is crushing the fun of others. I snatch away another floating bit of food. The slime looks discouraged, but turns around looking for more food. It'll be lucky if it finds any. I could do this all day. As it is, it's convenient. Because I'm going to be doing this for millions of years…

As Sly and Wolfgang walked out of Badlan, Wolfgang's time machine began to chirp at an alarming rate. The wolf moved for his pocket, and was horrified at what the results were showing. "What's the matter, Wolfgang?" Sly asked, worriedly. Wolfgang was breathless. "It's all gone. History… is disappearing. It's being rewritten!" The time machine fell from his shaking hands and broke into pieces on the floor. The two staggered as the wind picked up fiercely, and shockwaves began to tear through the air. They reached the van, where the whole Cooper gang was assembled outside. Sly hugged Carmelita tightly, and Bentley took out his binocucom and stared open-mouthed at a huge white light hurtling towards them over the horizon. As the white engulfed the whole world, Sly felt overwhelmingly disoriented, and blacked out.

He awoke to the sound of explosions from nearby. He reached for his cane, but was alarmed to discover it was not with him. He scrambled to his feet, and tried to get bearings on his surroundings. They were horrific. Huge, soulless steel walls ran through a lifeless metropolis of cables and towers. The ground around him was cracked and there were skeletons all around him. He staggered towards a light, and was shocked to discover it was a huge steel dragonfly, patrolling the street. Its eyes flashed green as it spotted him and fired lasers from its tail at him. Sly managed to roll into a side alley, and the dragonfly pursued him, folding its wings in to its body to gain entrance to the narrow passage. It had almost caught him when it burst into sparks and flames and hit the ground. Its eyes grew dark and its legs ceased whirring. Sly turned to see a middle-aged raccoon standing in the alley, holding a gun. The man yelled at Sly "I just wasted my last charge for you. Are you stupid? No 'one goes out onto the main streets at this time! The mechflys will kill you! Who are your clan?" Sly shrugged and said he didn't know where he was. The raccoon raised an eyebrow at him. "Well then, you better come with me then Mr Amnesiac." And the two ran off down the passage.

Across the "town", Murray and Bentley awake on top of a pile of bombed-out rubble. Bentley searches for his glasses, and as he does so Murray spots a guard strolling across the rooftop nearby. It looked like a weasel, but with cyborg implants, and it wielded a highly-advanced compound bow, with arrows in its quiver. Bentley puts on his glasses and spots the archer weasel and whispers to Murray to stay quiet. The archer is about to move on (having not spotted them) when Murray farts loudly, and its head snaps in their direction. Murray grins sheepishly, and the pair scrambles to their feet and run as the archer lines up an arrow and fires at them. They reach a junction with partly-collapsed buildings and hide inside one. The archer, in pursuit lands on top of a streetlight and scans the area for them. Suddenly, without warning the archer is shot with a blast of electricity, and falls from the lamppost. Carmelita runs in wielding her shock pistol and shouts at Bentley and Murray to run with her, and the three head off to look for the rest of the gang.

Meanwhile Sly and the mysterious raccoon have arrived at some sort of refugee camp. Makeshift metal shacks have been built to accommodate the people living there. The raccoon turns to Sly and says "You should be safe here. Now, no wandering off until I've spoken with the clan leader". And with that, he sped off. Sly sat on a nearby rock and pondered the implications of his location. Something had gone wrong with time, and the whole world had changed. Sly suspected Clockwerk had something to do with this, as if it wasn't obvious. The wasteland he was in was built on his image! The moniker of an owl's face occupied the top of most buildings, and the guards here were all made of metal parts. Sly had even seen smaller owl guards that looked exactly like Clockwerk, only Sly's size. He worried about where his friends where, particularly Wolfgang, as he is close to him now. The raccoon returned very silently and shocked Sly. "Clan leader wants to talk to you" he said. Sly walked up a fleet of stone and metal stairs to a kind of temple, and inside a mandrill sat on a makeshift throne. There was no mistake. The monkey was Dr. M! M smiled at Sly and said "Welcome to paradise. We only have a few rules here." The monkey's face turned straight and serious. "One – If you want food, you get it yourself! We are not a hospice. We provide protection from the Clock but that's it" Sly started to correct M on the "Clock's" name but the monkey silenced him with a crack of his whip. "Two!" Dr. M shouted when Sly had shut up. "If you get into a fight here I'll kill you myself!" The monkey hopped off his throne and stood menacingly over Sly. "And three – If you betray me, my good friend over there will hunt you down and kill you" He gestured at the raccoon who had helped Sly. "Any questions?" Dr.M said in a patronising way. "No? Then be gone!" Sly walked away slowly, unsure of what was going on. The raccoon stopped him as he passed through the door to the steps. "Don't worry friend, he's not as intimidating as he thinks. Stay on our good side and you'll be fine." As Sly walked down the steps, the raccoon called after him one last time "And the name's Connor, by the way. Connor Cooper".

Bentley, Murray and Carmelita found Dimitri upside down in a pile of scrap metal. He was dizzyingly quipping about his "style" being ruined. The Guru surfaced in a nearby bin. He floated out, and mumbled something about "taking out the trash". However, no 'one could find Wolfgang. Bentley said that maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, because he doesn't trust the wolf as far as he can throw him. He believes his actions seem too genuine to be true. Murray asks if he is jealous of his relation with Sly, but Bentley cuts him off and says that it is ridiculous. Carmelita calls to order a "meeting"- their goal: find Sly, discover what's going on, and stop it. She proudly summarised her three-point plan into several jobs. The Guru must control one of the Mechfly guards and do some reconnaissance work to scout the area. Murray needs to access the guard terminal in the town centre and pose as an archer guard to find out information. Herself and Bentley will investigate refugee camps. The gang set off to work.

Sly sat in the refugee camp, stunned by what he'd learned. His father was alive in this altered timeline, but he was a sidekick to a villain. Sly was worried about what that meant for the Cooper legacy, but was alarmed to discover that he struggled to remember his ancestors, like they were being erased completely, which Sly supposed, was what was happening. A female raccoon wandered over to him, and sat down next to him. "You alright darling?" she asked. Sly looked up, and instantly recognized the woman as his mother, Kathryn Cooper. Sly asked Kathryn what was going on in the world, and she looked at him as if he was dumb as rocks. She tells him that the Clock, ruler of this dystopian society, has gone into hibernation and the rebel movement is making plans to kill him and claim freedom. She shows him a hollowed out Clockwerk frame, like the ones that the smaller robot owl guards wear. She tells him that she needs to find someone who is talented enough to control one of the Minion's costumes, and Sly volunteers to try. While dressed in the costume of his nemesis' image, Sly can fly and shoot rockets at will. He uses the Minion costume to kill some guards in the area, and Kathryn is impressed. She calls Connor and Dr. M over, who are equally impressed. They tell Sly that he is now an integral part of their plans, and that he is welcome to the team.

At this moment Bentley and Carmelita arrive to find Sly the camp. They quickly reunite and explain the situation. Bentley is extremely worried that the team are unable to remember aspects of their lives. He is adamant that time itself is disappearing because of the paradox Clockwerk has created. Connor Cooper reveals himself to be listening and tells the group of his plan to rid the world of "The Clock". He asks Sly to due reconnaissance of the area and discover the weak points of the huge security barracks that surround Clockwerk's stronghold, a huge barbed and heavily guarded building with the owl insignia on the front. Connor and Kathryn proceed to take down an armaments stand and take several Cherry Bomb 5000's to down the wall. While on mission Sly is approached by a limping Wolfgang, who explains that he had been heavily injured by guards and that he needs attention. Sly flies the injured Wolfgang back to base, where Bentley deduces that his wounds are killing him. Wolfgang refuses to lie down while the others fight but Murray and The Guru keep him captive, using dreamtime barriers. In a camp meeting Connor and Sly gather everyone around to tell them of the plan to overthrow the tyrannical Clock. Dr.M appears on the stairs and calls Connor foolhardy and worthless, and orders everyone to ignore the plan. Connor tries to convince Dr.M but he doesn't listen, and banishes Connor, Kathryn, Sly and all his gang from the camp.

The gang plus Sly's parents escape from street-level to a bombed out rail yard. Connor reveals his determination for the plan to continue, revealing he had pocketed a Cherry Bomb. Bentley draws up a three-point plan to get at Clockwerk. Firstly, Murray will disable all guard towers in the area. Second, Sly and Connor will destroy the power station that feeds power to Clockwerk's stronghold for an uncertain reason. Finally, Bentley has deduced that Clockwerk has gone into hibernation in his stronghold, with his means to time travel locked away inside, presumably with Penelope too. He tells everyone of his decision to try and rescue her, and that he will sacrifice himself to stop Clockwerk from ever getting hold of time travel, by assassinating himself in the past. The team are horrified, especially Sly and Murray who tell him how he is their best friend. Bentley is certain there is no other way, but then Wolfgang speaks. He is clearly reluctant to tell everyone that in fact HE is directly responsible for time travel's creation. Bentley recalls that he was unable to work out a certain algorithm and Penelope solved it. Wolfgang, barely able to look at Sly, tells him that he gave the time travel knowledge to Penelope, who gave it to Le Paradox. Sly is disgusted, and tells Wolfgang that once he is done with Clockwerk, he is coming for him.

The plan is put into motion, and Clockwerk is made vulnerable for the first time in all of history. But as huge cracks in the wall open, Murray turns to face Dr.M who attacks him, revealing that he is an operative of Clockwerk, deigned to keep order amongst the rebels. After beating Dr.M, Murray traps him under the rubble of the wall, where his legs are left kicking. Connor assumes the role of leader of the refugee camp, and calls a meeting to plan the fall of the Clock. "Clockwerk's master fortress is well guarded. But we can break in. Thieves like us can do anything" said Connor. Sly looked with admiration at this father rallying his troops. He was intensely proud to be the child of this brave, brave man. Connor landed a spire jump on the jagged broken fencing next to where Sly was standing. He tuned to face Sly. "You know, I may be approaching fifty but I am not stupid." He smiled warmly, "You may hide your cane but there is no mistaking a Cooper" He grabbed Sly's shoulders and looked closely into his eyes. "Sly?" he said. "Hi, dad" said Sly, his voice wobbling. Connor looked dumbfounded. "My son… but the Clock's men took you from me at birth!" Sly was too happy to be having this moment with his father that he doesn't reveal the truth about his time-travelling antics. Kathryn Cooper also realises he is her son, and hugs Sly tightly. "Now I have more purpose than ever before" said Connor. "Now I don't just fight for myself, or my wife, but for my son!" he exclaimed.

Meanwhile in the cold heart of the tallest building in the city, a bow-wielding weasel approached a huge steel door. A flashlight guard standing by the door beckoned him inside. The door closed behind the weasel as he entered a room as dark as death itself. The door's closing plunged him into pitch black. A rasping yet terror-inspiring voice spoke out to him from the dark. "Is it not so that the fortress has been penetrated? Well, is it?" The weasel began to shake, "It is true my most humble Clock. "Two intensely bright yellow lights burned in the corner of the room, illuminating a room dense with cables and an arch over the centre of the room shadowed a strange shape in the corner. "My name... is not Clock. My name shall burn in the souls of every living thing for all of time, as it has since the dawn of life itself. My name… is Clockwerk!" And before the weasel could blink, the shape unfurled, revealing huge wings and talons. The Clock flew at astonishing speed at the weasel and swept it up in its claws. "And don't you forget it" it spoke softly, before its claws closed around the weasels head.

Clockwerk POV: Sleep has made me weak. The blasted Cooper legacy just refuses to die, doesn't it? Now they plan to take away my empire, reduce me to ashes, and carry on their filthy thieving acts. I slammed my wings hard against the door. But that's not going to happen. I won't let it happen. I'll sleep no longer. And with that I burst through the wall and tore into the night sky, and my eyes picked out several yellow lights burning across my broken city. Like ants in the path of an elephant, it's time to show who's in charge now…

The Cooper Gang froze in their tracks when they saw the shape of the owl illuminated against the moonbeams. Clockwerk had risen. The owl swept down further along the city and with a horrific scream a ton of people was mercilessly eviscerated. Connor began to run towards Clockwerk, yelling angrily. Kathryn stopped him, telling him that there was nothing they could do, and that his was their only chance. Clockwerk took to the sky again, and with an ear-piercing shriek, swept down across the ground narrowly missing Bentley. The Cooper Gang had almost reached the doors of the stronghold when the owl hit the ground in front of them, and spreads its wings out wide, shrieking in triumph. Sly and Connor gripped their canes in apprehension, but just as Clockwerk was about to fire his mounted rockets, a blast of fire hit the owl square in the face. Everyone turned to see Wolfgang perched on the top of a roof nearby. The wolf stared bluntly into the owl's piercing eyes, and spoke defiantly. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" and fired another round from his pistol. Clockwerk screamed as the fire tore through the ligament of his left wing, but laughed horribly as it began to re-attach itself by self-repairs. "Run!" Wolfgang yelled at the Cooper Gang. "I'll hold him off!" Sly took one last look at the man he had spent the last few weeks with and turned and ran into the fortress. Wolfgang watched as the gang made it safely inside. His betrayal was now repaid. He wasn't afraid to die. The Clock had made him a prisoner for all his life. But no longer. The owl took to the skies and hurtled toward him. Wolfgang waited until Clockwerk was close then fired straight into his eye. The owl was at full speed, and as it began to dive-bomb towards Wolfgang's position, he knew there was no escape. Wolfgang closed his eyes, and thought of the Caribbean, those beautiful sunlit shores and scenery, unlike anything anyone from this time had ever seen. And then there was nothing.

"Quick Sly! The time machine's through here!" Bentley yelled as he rolled his wheelchair faster than he had in his life. The Cooper Gang had made it the inner sanctum of Clockwerk's base, but just as they had reached the machine, a laser grid descended in front of them. "Damn it" Sly cursed. "That's a triple-quantum inversion lock!" Bentley said knowingly. "Can you swing it?" Sly asked. Bentley raised an eyebrow. "Good to have you back, buddy" Sly said. "And you were going to sacrifice yourself". Bentley smiled and playfully whacked Sly with one of the hands on his wheelchair. He then threw down a hacking grid and successfully broke through 3000 consecutive firewalls. The laser gird disappeared and the team cheered. A blood-curdling shriek echoed won the hallway. Clockwerk was closing in on them. Bentley wheeled up to the time machine's core processor and began to run calibrations. "Damn it! The systems in lockdown! I can't open the prongs, they've magnetised. No 'one without god-like strength can open them now!" Murray cracked his knuckles. "These prongs are NOTHING, before, THE MURRAY!" Sly and Murray high-fived and the hippo began to pull apart the prongs. "Hurry" Carmelita called, we don't have much time. Another shriek from closer this time indicated she was right. With one last groan of exertion, the prongs came apart, and a sphere of energy opened around the gang minus Sly, Connor and Kathryn. "You guys fix this, okay? I can't leave my parents at his mercy. Not two times in one life" said Sly. Bentley and Murray nodded solemnly. Carmelita blew a kiss. Dimitri broke down and started crying. The Guru, well, he looked blank, but you could tell he cared. The gang disappeared as the light intensified, and Sly, Kathryn and Connor were left on the empty pad. "I sure wish I had friends like that" Connor said aloud. Sly paused. It had gone too quiet. Where was Clockwerk? Then without warning a talon came down from the ceiling and grabbed Kathryn, yanking her away. "You want this *****? Come get her" spoke the owl, flying up through the rafters. Connor and Sly ran after him in pursuit. Upon reaching the very top of the stronghold, the following banter occurred.

Sly: Put my mother down you metal monster!

Connor: If you lay a finger on my wife, I'll cut out your eyes.

Clockwerk: So amusing. The little men think they are strong. Hahaha. You Coopers always find a way to make it more interesting.

Sly: How have you changed all of time?

Clockwerk: Penelope extended her services to me. In Ancient Egypt, we struck a bargain. She would build me a suit of armour superior to my original, and in return I would murder the first Cooper, Bob, and delete your entire stinking line from history. But I had a change of plan. Why not simply become the ruler of the entire world?

Sly: You're insane.

Clockwerk: No. I am a forward thinker. The world has never been enough for me. I was wrong, and that's hard to admit. Hate is not the prime ingredient in the fountain of youth. Its patience. I have waited millions of years to destroy the coopers, and now my time has come.

Sly: You're destroying all of time as well!

Clockwerk: So be it. Time always ran out for me anyway.

Sly: What are you talking about?

Clockwerk: Didn't your little book tell you? Why I hate the Cooper family so much? The crime they committed against me?

Sly: There was never any reason.

Clockwerk: But there was, you see…

Kathryn: Put me down you psychopath!

Clockwerk: Another time.

With that Clockwerk threw Kathryn down, where Connor ran to her aid, and engaged Sly in battle. Sly, equipping the Minion Costume disables Clockwerk's wings, and the second half of the battle takes place on land. After Sly hits Clockwerk sufficiently, the owl falls on its back. Clockwerk began to ramble aimlessly about doughnuts as its self-repairs kick in. "Cooper, doughnuts, you'll never, doughnuts, be rid, doughnuts, of doughnuts doughnuts doughnuts" Sly looked out across the bombed city, and has overjoyed to see a white wave heading straight towards him. "You see that Clockwerk, your empire is about to fall in ruins!" The owl simply tuned its head toward the oncoming light, and whispered "Doughnuts doughnuts doughnuts". Sly hopped down to his parents. Connor turned to him. "I am so proud of you, Sly. You truly are the best cooper in history." Sly replied "No dad. That was a man called Raul Wolfgang. He died for us, he fought for us, and he admired us that greatly. But he was stronger than us all." Connor smiled. "Just as humble and selfless as well. We are both so proud to have known you" Sly brushed away a tear as the time wave closed in on the trio. Clockwerk's last words were "Coopers... I will never forget your crime…"before a power as strong as a million neutron bombs wiped him from time.

**EPILOGUE: NARRATED BY SLY**

_I should probably just start at the beginning. The name's Sly, Sly Cooper. And I'm a thief from a long line of thieves. In fact, thieving is the family business. And business was good. I met all my ancestors. Hmmm, few can say that. I've had a long adventure, and by now I just want to relax. You see, as fate would have it, Bentley knew exactly what he was doing when he stepped into that machine, and whatever he did, reset time to the point when I was on Le Paradox's blimp. This time, I was rescued, by DIMITRI. Beggars can't be choosers I guess. And as he piloted the Cooper helicopter towards me, I could see Carmelita, just sitting there and smiling. I was so glad to see her. None of us can forget what happened. Some timey wimey jargon that Bentley has tried to explain to me. It was just noise anyway. It's been a tiring trip, though, and it's definitely time for some rest from thieving. So I'm going to propose… to Carmelita. It's definitely way past time I made my feelings clear. Propose… a break from the whole cops and robbers game. I think she'll definitely agree. Bentley's working on some new project, but is keeping tight-lipped as usual. Murray and the Guru have formed a bowling team. With their dreamtime powers, some may call it cheating. They call it intuition. Dimitri joined NASA, and recently went on a moonwalk. His boogying down on lunar town certainly… had its moments. And the Panda King's sacrifice now never happened, and so he's enjoying retirement with his daughter in the Himalayas. _

_But the gang is ready for the time when we know its right to return to the old ways. After all, you can't keep a good thief down. Thieves… are forever…_

_THE END_

_**Credits: For the authentic credits experience, listen to this while reading the following notes: **_** watch?v=G6jyuChcPMA**

Penelope, having been securely prevented from leaving her jail cell, could never cause any of the events in this game. She and Bentley are… talking.

Osiran, having never become rich, enjoyed a decent life selling potatoes in the slums of Cairo. Occasionally, he'd get a tip for peeling them.

Slytunkhamen went on to write the Thievius Raccoonus, the book of the Cooper clan's greatest exploits. Fair to say he has a few of his own to add…

Sir Hiram went on to write a military strategy novel, and was appointed as a lead writer for Call of Looty…

Henrietta fought gallantly with her one eye, and hook, and won respect from many male pirate captains. Then stole their gold…

Adlar won the Iron Cross for his bravery in the First World War. He retired from the army before WW2, and settled down with a wife and two kids.

Otto van Cooper was captured by the allied forces and apparently switched sides. Fair to say he did a GREAT job of fixing their planes, as several mysteriously crashed after he repaired them…

Escargot was eventually caught by the police in Modern Day and charged the full £30 for his parking fine. Reports say he was devastated.

Thaddeus won a role in the police force, and managed to catch the infamous . He still refuses to be impolite.

Doc (Lawrence) achieved recognition for his work on wool as a conductor of electricity. He is now working for the good side on revolutionary security locks.

Slaigh got into many a pub brawl, and drank half his body weight. He was later found halfway up a tree, with no recollection of how he got there.

Wolfgang's eventual fate is unknown. Perhaps because Clockwerk's empire of hardship was never formed, he was never born. Nonetheless, his sacrifice has never been forgotten.

Clockwerk died as he meant to in Paris in 2004. His final words to Sly are yet to have a found meaning…

**Author's Notes:** Well… thanks all for reading. It's been a heck of a fun ride writing down my ideas for Sly 5. Some people may not be happy with how it turned out with it being quite similar to Sly 4 or being predictable, but I'd like to thank everyone who favourited and followed this story, especially to the reviewer "Anonymous", who I don't actually know who they were, whose positive feedback gave me the will to keep writing. For those who may be wondering about Clockwerk's origins, I'd like to point you towards a brilliant fan fiction by BananaB0mb called The Room We Hide In. I take the inspiration for his hatred from that story. I'll almost definitely return to write more in this universe, but unlikely to be writing a Sly 6. Who knows? Only time will tell…


End file.
